Dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous black mudstones in central Nuussuaq, West Greenland

Stratigraphical ranges and geographical distribution of dinoflagellate cysts and selected pollen species are described based on analysis of approximately 100 samples from 15 surface and 4 subsurface sections of Late Cretaceous age in central Nuussuaq, West Greenland. The sections make up an approximately 1100 m thick black mudstone succession, previously dated as Santonian to Maastrichtian on the basis of scattered ammonite occurrences.

The dinoflagellate cysts date the majority of the studied samples to Late Santonian to middle/Late Campanian, whereas one sample is dated as Late Paleocene. It has been possible to divide the studied succession into eight intervals based on eight distinguishable palynomorph assemblages. The diversity of the studied dinoflagellate cysts is relatively low to very low; approximately 55 species were recorded.

The presence of reworked specimen of the Early Cretaceous species Batioladinium jaegerii indicates, for the first time that pre-Middle Cenomanian marine deposits may have been deposited in central Nuussuaq.